1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for coating a metal strip that is passed through a container which holds the melted coating material and, underneath the melt bath level, has a channel which encloses the material in the form of strip, in which channel currents are induced in the coating material by means of inductors and cause an electromagnetic force in order to hold the coating material back.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A system of this generic type prior art apparatus for coating a metal strip is described, for example, in German Patent 43 44 939. The container which holds the coating material in the form of a melt there is provided with an opening ac the base for the strip to be coated to pass through. This opening is sealed by an electromagnet pump with produces an electromagnetic force equal in magnitude to or greater than the metallostatic pressure in the opening of the through-channel. In consequence, the liquid coating material is prevented from running out through the through-channel.
The through-channel is subject to stringent thermal requirements and, accordingly, is subject to wear. For this reason, the channel has to be replaced. Replacement of an integral channel requires that there no longer is any strip in the channel and that the strip must be threaded through the channel once again after replacement of the worn components. The separation and renewed threading in of the strip is very time-consuming and difficult, and considerably interferes with the productivity of the system as a result of long down times.